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All Things Death

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 31 October 2025 at 7.30pm

Heidelberg Scots Uniting Church

187 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Join us for our annual discussion of all things about death:

How do you organise a funeral?

Try a coffin on for size!

What happens if you go into hospital and you don’t want treatment?

The Cafe of Dangerous Ideas is here for you to ask all the questions – so come along on Friday the 31 October (Halloween) at 7.30pm and talk death with us.

No bookings necessary – just turn up.

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Church as a Swamp

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 19 September 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Any of us who have close affiliation with the Uniting Church will know the constant narrative: a story about how the church is changing.

In this session, with some stories and group sharing, we will explore the idea of Church as a Swamp: the question to us is how healthy is that swamp?

Our guest speaker is Ian David, a minister in placement at Fairfield Uniting Church… He’s never done anything really dangerous, let alone had a dangerous thought… but he did find this quote…
“Just as the Christian should not be constantly feeling his (sic) spiritual pulse, so, too, the Christian Community has not been given to us by God for us to be constantly taking its temperature.” from Life Together – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Join us for a deep dive as we assess the Church as Swamp.

No bookings necessary – just turn up.

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Neurodiversity

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 29 August 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses any variation of brain wiring that significantly differs from what is typical brain functioning.

Dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sensory processing disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and many more brain-based differences all fall under the neurodiversity banner, but ADHD and autism seem to be getting much of the airtime on social media.

What difference does it make? How do we engage with, learn from and enjoy the variety that neurodiversity offers us in the way we think and act?

Join us as we hear from Glen Wesley in his engagement with neurodiversity at the Cafe of Dangerous Ideas.

No bookings necessary – just turn up.

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Is Australia a Welcoming Country?

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 27 June 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Australia sees itself as a welcoming country. But what do recent arrivals think?

Join us as we hear what it feels like to arrive in the lucky country as an immigrant or refugee.

We’ll be helped in our discussions by Mursal Sadat – a member of the Afghan national women’s soccer team. 

No bookings necessary – just turn up!

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Somalians in Banyule

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 30 May 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Banyule has a substantial Somali population, so come and meet a spokesperson for the community.

You will learn more about the people, the country and the history of the land.

No bookings necessary – just turn up!

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Trans Spiritual Joy

The Diversity, History & Controversy in Spiritual Communities

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 25 April 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

What does it mean to be transgender in a spiritual setting?

What gifts do trans folk bring to these spaces?

And how does a trans identity expand our conception of what we see as Divine?

Come along and join us as we talk with trans people about their experience of faith and spirituality in society today.

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Engaging Grandparents in Childcare

How do we navigate changing expectations on both sides?

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 28 March 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Join our panel as we discuss the joys and challenges of raising children in multi-generational families at a time of rapid change.

Grandparenting can be a wonderful time of being with family and building a relationship with grandchildren. But what happens when parents and grandparents have different ideas about how the job is to be done?

How do parents and grandparents negotiate the changed roles inherent in the new relationship. And how do they maintain healthy boundaries in keeping their own lives distinct from their role as grandparents?
No need to book. Just turn up.

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Artificial Intelligence (AI): Solution or Disaster?

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 28 February 2025 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

From ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Terminator’ to ‘Battlestar Galactica’, most cinematic portrayals of artificial intelligence do not end well.

Should we be concerned about the development of AI? Should we be more concerned about the development of AI than climate change?

What are the challenges in regulating AI? Can AI be given human values?

Join David Landis-Morse and Dr. Mark Zirnsak as we look at the concerns around the development of AI.

No need to book. Just turn up.

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Death & Funerals

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 25 October 2024 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Ever wanted to ask questions about funerals and planning for them? Ever wondered what you need to know about organising your own funeral? Just curious about death?

Join us for our annual evening about all things death at the Cafe of Dangerous Ideas as we talk with a minister, an undertaker and a palliative care nurse. 

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

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Unravelling from Zionism

Cafe of Dangerous Ideas

Friday 20 September 2024 at 7.30pm

Sycamore Tree Cafe

185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

Veronica Sherman is the founder of www.happilymade.com.au and lives here in Melbourne. At age 10 she immigrated to Israel from Sweden. After completing her army service she moved to Australia to study Theology.

She will be sharing the story of unravelling from her double dose of Zionism.

Join us as we investigate some of the background to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. 
No need to book. Just turn up!

Café of Dangerous Ideas Facebook Page

Veronica Sherman